shareclick / vs Mouse Without Borders
ShareClick vs Mouse Without Borders
Microsoft Mouse Without Borders is a free PowerToys utility for controlling up to four Windows computers. It is Windows-only. ShareClick covers the same desk workflow when one computer is a Mac, with encrypted clipboard and file sharing over the local network.
Compared against the official Microsoft PowerToys documentation on .
| Feature | ShareClick | Mouse Without Borders |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free & open source | Free (Microsoft PowerToys) |
| Works on Mac | Yes | No (Windows only) |
| Works on Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes (MIT/Apache) | Yes (PowerToys) |
| Clipboard (text + images) | Yes | Yes |
| File transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Pairing security | X25519 + ChaCha20 encryption | Security key + computer name |
| Auto discovery | mDNS (no IPs) | Manual (security code) |
| Input transport | UDP, ~6 µs | Network transport |
the platform decision
Mouse Without Borders is a direct fit when every computer runs Windows 10 or Windows 11. It is integrated into PowerToys, supports up to four computers and includes clipboard and file transfer. There is no macOS client, so it cannot bridge a Mac and PC.
ShareClick currently supports macOS and Windows and is designed around a two-platform desk. It is an independent pre-release project rather than a Microsoft utility. That gives users an inspectable open protocol and cross-platform support, while Mouse Without Borders offers the maturity and distribution of PowerToys.
clipboard and files
Both tools move more than input. Microsoft documents clipboard sharing and file transfer between connected Windows computers. ShareClick synchronizes clipboard text and images between Mac and Windows and sends files through a separate reliable encrypted channel. If clipboard is the primary need, see the Mac and Windows clipboard guide.
setup differences
Mouse Without Borders pairs Windows machines using a security key and computer name inside PowerToys. ShareClick advertises devices over mDNS, authenticates the pair and exchanges the screen arrangement. Both require local firewall access and work best when the computers can reach each other directly on the same LAN.
which should you pick?
Choose ShareClick if either machine is a Mac — Mouse Without Borders can't help there. You also get open source, encryption on by default, and zero-config discovery.
Choose Mouse Without Borders if all your machines run Windows and you want the PowerToys integration and support for up to four PCs.
Mouse Without Borders is the straightforward free choice for Windows-only desks. ShareClick brings the same one-keyboard-and-mouse idea to Mac and Windows, with a dedicated UDP input path, encryption on every channel and mDNS discovery. ShareClick's ~6 µs measurement is loopback transport overhead, not a direct end-to-end benchmark against the Microsoft tool.
For more options, compare the full list of keyboard-and-mouse sharing tools.